The Senior ROTC commissioning ceremony was among the 2011 Graduation Day events at Valley Forge Military College. Here cadets are being granted the authority to carry out their duties as newly commissioned officers.
"It means a lot to me," said Joseph Hall of North Philadelphia. "My main goal is to lead America's sons and daughters."
"We've been producing some wonderful leaders," said Valley Forge Military College President Lt. Col John Church, Jr. "We really do produce ethically minded citizens of character, and we're very grateful for that."
Three of the graduates came from Elverson Military Academy in Philadelphia.. It is the first class of Elverson graduates at this college.
"I basically came to Elverson to change my lifestyle, get out of the rough neighborhood," said First Lt. Asia Hyman of North Philadelphia. "I'm actually the first member of my family to go to college."
"My mom was military, so it passed down to me," said 2nd Lieutenant Broades Sample of North Philadelphia. "I enlisted at first, but one of my Army instructors at my old school got mad because he thought I had the potential for college."
After the commissioning came the first official salutes as U.S. Army Officers. Second Lieutenant Brigette Miller chose her father.
"My father is an N.C.O.," said Miller, of Richmond, N.H. "If anyone's taught me anything, that would be him."
The next stop for all 51 graduates are four-year colleges. Congratulations from Action News to all the graduates and their families.
